Again and again he fired the weapon, as he was dragged completely into the darkness, and the sides started to close around him, trapping him inside the slimy, pungent growth. However, he managed to keep his arm free of the opening after the sack closed around it, painfully trapping the appendage.
Another prolonged squeeze. And another. Firing blind.
Eventually, it would fire no more, now out of fuel, and he was forced to drop it as he heard the screams of the creatures outside.
Adrian had no idea if the plan had worked or not.
Then he felt something slither to his face and force its way into his mouth.
Chapter 52
Reid continued to press himself into the wall of pulsating flesh behind him, crying out in terror as the vile creatures made their way towards him. The fire that Adrian—who had disappeared into that tumorous sack—had thrown around the room had stopped the monsters momentarily, but as Wilson’s form burned, they seemed to find renewed vigour.
And they turned their attention to him.
The giant thing at the head of the pack took a couple of huge steps towards him, and Reid cried out, not yet ready to die.
Especially not like this.
But as the fire spread and the room became engulfed with searing hot flame, the behemoth faltered.
Its huge legs seemed to wobble.
It growled as it tried to take another step forward, but only succeeded in losing its footing completely. It then crashed to the floor, its head falling at the feet of Reid.
The other monstrosities seemed to be faring no better, all dropping to the ground and writhing around before finally falling motionless. The great hulk before Reid gave a few more spasms, trying in vain to cling to life, but finally expelled a long breath, and soon it, too, was still.
The only sound now was the incessant crackling as the room continued to burn. Reid felt the heat and smoke gather strength around him.
Run!
This was his chance.
Perhaps it was now all over, and Adrian James had succeeded. Which meant that Reid was the last one left alive.
He took a tentative step forward, needing to pass over the massive body of the behemoth that blocked the way before him. He slowly climbed atop its back, the enormous body holding firm beneath him.
It did not stir.
He made his way from the room, scrambling over the piled bodies of impossible creatures of nightmarish compositions, and as he did, he looked over to that sack of flesh at the foot of the burning mass. Adrian’s arm still protruded from it, but was unmoving.
Perhaps there was a chance he was still alive? If so, shouldn’t Reid help?
But the fire was growing stronger, and quickly, and Reid felt a sense of horrible familiarity. He remembered the burning room from his past, and his pleading wife and child. He knew at the time that if he had tried to save them, he would have been killed as well.
And the fire here was growing too strong.
The hell with Adrian James.
Reid continued climbing over the lifeless bodies, seeing the remains of the towering fool Jack beneath them all, and made his way to the corridor beyond. It was cooler here, the air—while still heavy—much cleaner. There were a few motionless creatures scattered about the ground, now empty husks.
Reid broke into a jog, a feeling of freedom washing over him.
Considering the position he had found himself in not long ago, having to choose between being a prisoner or being killed, the turnaround in his fortunes had been drastic.
Up the stairs he ran and out into the large Main Hall. He knew he would still need to find that key to escape, and that would take time, but if he was the only one left alive in Arlington Asylum, then it mattered little.
However, as he made his way forward, he noticed that the key would not be needed at all.
The main door to the facility lay on the floor—twisted, bent, and ruined. The remaining doorframe was cracked and misshapen and the way through free and unobstructed. Something had forced its way out.
Reid hesitated, instinctually, but quickly realised that whatever it was, it would now be dead, too, given what had happened down in the basement. So his escape had been made that much easier.
He felt his heart lift, and he let out a laugh as he sprinted forward, passing the sloppy, gory mess of Seymour’s body, and on towards the cold air that spilled in from the opening.
Towards his freedom.
He burst free from that damn asylum—finally—and out into the night, ready to continue his run back into the normal world.
The sane world.
But as he broke clear of the threshold, he stopped.
There was a flight of grand stone steps outside of the facility that led down to the lower ground level outside. At the bottom of the steps stood two stone pillars, and it was between those pillars, on the bottom step, that something stood with its back to him.
Something Reid recognised—that thing from the corridor before.
The Dark Priest.
And it was very much alive.
Impossible, he thought, it should be dead.
He heard a chuckle come from the thing as it turned to him, showing its mangled face.
‘Killing the link to the creator has no bearing on me, wretch,’ it said as if reading his thoughts.
Then he realised that was exactly what had happened.
‘What are you?’ Reid asked, his voice quivering. Freedom stood just behind that thing, out beyond the stone driveway that led off between the trees and into the darkness, where the exit sat within the boundary walls. The walk to a populated area would take hours and hours, but it was something Reid could certainly do.
Now, however, his escape seemed infinitely far away.
‘I am the purpose of the Creator. Its goal in this world was to create me, so that part of it could live on, free from the decay and death it is suffering in its own existence.’
‘But the other… things? They’re all dead,’ Reid said.
‘Those mongrels were nothing. Merely a result of the Creator spreading its influence, gaining enough strength here for what it needed to do.’ The thing opened its arms wide to either side. ‘To birth me unto this world. And it succeeded.’
‘What will you do?’
The thing shrugged, which Reid saw as a very human gesture. ‘Whatever I wish. I will wait and learn… and then mould this world into what I wish it to be. A place like the home of my creator. And I will reside atop a throne of bodies and blood.’
It then began to laugh—a horrible, demonic sound.
‘Please,’ Reid begged, ‘please let me go.’
The thing continued to laugh, but gave a simple answer.
‘No.’
It raised an arm towards Reid, then flicked up its hand. Reid felt himself suddenly rise up from the ground, pulled upwards by some unknown force… farther and farther until he was about twenty feet in the air, hovering.
He cried out.
‘No! Please!’
Then the Dark Priest below held both arms straight out before it and started to slowly pull them apart. It took a moment for Reid to feel the pain begin to rise in him, and he groaned and squirmed.
And then the pain increased even more, growing stronger, and he started to really feel it.
His skin, the very make-up of his body, began to pull itself apart, and Reid could do nothing, only feel every tiny ounce of absolute agony as it happened.
His skin began to separate, splitting and pulling away from his body, dragging his clothes with it, leaving the meat and flesh attached to his bones, nerves and muscles now exposed.
The skin fell to the ground like a discarded pelt, slapping to the stone with a wet squelch. Blood poured down from his body as the tendons and muscle began to pull away as well.
He continued to screech in hellish torment as he saw the glistening red meat rip off of him and plummet below in bloody chunks.
The Dark Priest continued its incessant,
mocking laughter as Reid suffered an unimaginable hell.
His guts and intestines pulled themselves free and hovered for him to see. One then wrapped around his neck, with another snaking into his mouth, choking him.
All the while, the demonic conductor below orchestrated the desecration upon his dying body.
One eye was pulled free, and the optic nerve severed. It, too, plopped to the ground, into the pile of gore that was building up.
His pain was absolute.
And finally it ended, but only when the Dark Priest allowed it to end. The thing pulled its arms out wider, and the last thing Reid felt was his body exploding in a shower of meat and blood.
The entity had truly enjoyed itself.
It felt the wretch’s fear, pain, and suffering, and it was truly exquisite.
It then turned and looked out to the world it intended to one day rule.
For now, though, it was time to leave this place behind.
The building—where it had come into the world—meant nothing to it.
It needed to find a place to dwell, to grow, while it formulated the downfall and subjugation of the pathetic human race.
The entity did not follow the path out, instead choosing to turn to its left, heading into the welcoming darkness of the trees.
And it kept going.
Chapter 53
The wriggling thing that had forced its way painfully down Adrian’s throat had become still. The compressing walls of the pod had eased, and the teeth that covered the internal lining no longer worked into his skin.
Outside of his fleshy cocoon, he heard the crackling of fire. He could even feel its heat emanate through the pod that held him.
And he was alive.
A sliver of flickering light made its way through into his surroundings from outside, wedged open by his aching arm. He could smell burnt meat and thick smoke.
Adrian moved his arms as best he could in the tight space available and grasped hold of the alien thing that was lodged in his oesophagus. He heaved at it and felt it slowly start to pull up from his gut, making him gag. It caused a horrible, burning sensation in his throat, but still he continued, tears running down his face.
Eventually, the slimy tentacle was pulled free, and Adrian emptied the contents of his stomach as the head of it slopped from his mouth.
After taking a moment, he then forced both arms through the small opening and started to squeeze himself through. It was a struggle at first, but eventually the walls of the pod gave, opening just enough for him to flop to the floor outside.
Into an inferno.
Flames coated the room and were close to the cocoon he had just escaped from. The heat was almost unbearable and the smoke overpowering, making it hard to see as the fire scorched the monstrous bodies that littered the floor.
Adrian sucked in whatever air he could, though he couldn’t help but draw in smoke, causing him to cough and dry-heave again.
With a spinning head, he knew he would not last long in this place. So he pushed himself up to unsteady feet, got his bearings, and then ran through the flames, feeling them lick at him as he went.
He shielded himself with his arms as best he could, but soon became aware that the ruined clothing he wore had caught fire at the waist.
But he didn’t have time to stop. So, instead, he stomped over the fallen bodies, careful of his footing to try to avoid the worst of the fire. He stumbled slightly, but was able to keep his balance and pushed on as the flames burned at his already stinging skin.
Finally, Adrian managed to stumble out of the chamber, into the relatively clean, cold air of the passageway beyond. He ripped off his burning clothing and dropped them to his side, now completely naked.
Not that he cared.
After a few more stumbling steps, Adrian let himself fall the ground, pulling in mouthfuls of oxygen. He allowed himself a moment to rest—to allow his body to stop shaking and head to stop spinning.
And in that moment, he was unable to stop his thoughts from running to his mother.
To his last moments with her as she had begged him to end her suffering.
She had hated that she was such a burden. And the constant pain was unbearable, so she had asked of him the unaskable. He had tried to dissuade her—begged her not to make him do it, but she had insisted, pleading that he be brave and do this one last thing for her.
And, in the end, Adrian had obliged—reluctantly giving her the release she had so desperately wanted.
But the woman at the time had been close to delirious, such was the pain she was in, and Adrian could never convince himself it was what she had actually wanted. He didn’t hold out long enough to find out for sure and had been too quick to kill.
Again.
And if it had been the delirium talking, then he had murdered his innocent mother, the one person in this world who had ever loved and cared for him.
Then there was her struggle as he held the pillow over her face. Why would she fight back if she wanted to die? Adrian had taken it as a natural reaction, but was that really it?
He would never know the answer to that, and he knew he would never find peace.
It took a while, but eventually enough strength returned so that Adrian was able to drag himself to his feet and push on. He staggered through the passageway and then up the stairs to the Main Hall above.
When he got there, he saw what was left of Seymour—a desecrated mess smeared about the floor.
Adrian wasn’t exactly said to see what had happened to him, though he did feel bad for Jack, and the idea that his body would stay down below with those monsters did not sit well with him. He knew that soon enough, however, what was left of Jack would burn to nothing, along with the other lifeless creatures down in that hellish ward.
Up ahead, the door to the exit had been ripped from its hinges, revealing the open air of the night outside. Something had broken its way through there, leaving the ruined door on the floor in the hall.
But Adrian paid it no mind, too exhausted to care, feeling all but broken.
He walked out into the night, finally stepping free of the wretched place that had so tormented him for so long.
Freedom was his.
As he stepped outside, he almost slipped on a pile of gore that covered the stone floor. Something had met a nasty end here. He trudged through whatever it was and continued down the stone steps to the wide gravel driveway below.
The air was biting cold on his naked skin, and he realised he wouldn’t last long without some form of clothing.
But perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing. He was tired, so very tired, and considered lying down to let exposure claim him. Considering what could have happened to him, that wasn’t a bad way to go. At least he was out of that God-forsaken place, dying on his own terms.
But a rumbling sound up ahead drew his attention.
Lights appeared as the sounds came closer.
Headlights.
Soon a convoy of automobiles could be seen breaking through the darkness, and they pulled up to close to the building, the gravel popping and cracking under their tires.
There were five cars in all, and a large truck at the rear.
What now?
The doors opened, and people spilled free, all of them wearing odd, dark-red gowns.
‘Who are you?’ Adrian asked of the first man who approached. He was tall and gangly, with thin white hair and a hooked nose.
‘Are you an inmate?’ the first man asked, with a gravelly, old voice.
Adrian didn’t know how to answer, so he just nodded.
‘Where is the man in charge? Isaac Templeton? Or any of the others who work here?’
‘All dead, I think,’ Adrian said. He brought his arms around himself in an attempt to ward off the cold.
The man just nodded, solemnly, and turned to some of the others who were with him. Adrian saw that many of them were equipped with the same type of weapon he had used down in the basement earlier.
&nbs
p; ‘As I feared. Brother Templeton did not check in when he should have. I told him things were progressing too quickly to be properly controlled.’
‘I think you were right,’ Adrian said. ‘Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to continue past you and go on my way.’
The man just laughed and then shook his head. ‘I’m afraid not.’
Adrian had expected that answer. ‘Then what happens now?’
‘We cannot allow knowledge of what happened here to get out, and will therefore purge all evidence, so that nothing can be discovered. No loose ends.’
‘Figured as much. Does that mean you’re going to kill me?’
Two other men approached, flanking the first. ‘No need for that,’ the man said with a smile. ‘You’ll come with us.’
‘Just give the word, Mr. Ainsworth,’ one of the men said. He was tall and broad, cutting an imposing figure. Another joined him.
‘Whenever you are ready,’ the hook-nosed man said with a smile.
In an instant, the large man dove on Adrian and grappled with him, while the other pulled a burlap sack over his head. Adrian fought against them, but was quickly overpowered. He felt his arms tied behind his back, and his legs were bound together as well. He was then lifted and thrown over a shoulder.
He then heard the hooked-nosed man again. ‘There are other facilities that you will be able to call home. Though I’m afraid it won’t be much of a life for you. Goodbye, inmate.’
Adrian was carried away and thrown to the metallic floor in the back of the truck. Heavy doors were closed behind him as he screamed in anger. But it was useless—he was a prisoner again.
Now and forever.
Chapter 54
For Isaac Templeton, the journey he was on with Robert Wilson seemed to take days; but it was impossible to tell as no sun ever rose here.
There was only the eternal night.
He had been pulled through cracks and valleys ripped into the ground, up over rolling hills of obsidian, and through moving forests of flesh. And he had seen horrors that had almost shattered his sanity.
The Extreme Horror Collection Page 42
